Today’s high cost of college education makes college attendance a challenge for aspiring young women. High school girls in their junior year who are thinking about college and scholarship opportunities may want to consider a scholarship offered by one of the oldest women’s organizations in North America. P.E.O. (Philanthropic Educational Organization) was established in 1869 at Iowa Wesleyan College, Mount Pleasant, Iowa, originally as a friendship society. It has evolved into one of the largest nonsectarian, community-based organizations with 6,000 chapters and 350,000 initiated members. P.E.O. supports five scholarship, grant, loan and award programs, as well as Cottey College, a four-year women’s college owned by the organization.

The P.E.O. STAR scholarship officially became a P.E.O. philanthropy in 2009. This is a highly competitive, non-renewable $2,500 scholarship for graduating high school senior women who demonstrate outstanding leadership potential, academic achievement, extracurricular activity accomplishments, and community service. Interested young women should be planning to pursue full or part-time post-secondary education in the United States or Canada beginning in the fall following their high school graduation.

The members of the local chapter of P.E.O. are hopeful that there are some young women attending either the local public or private high schools or are homeschooled who may be interested and qualified to apply for this STAR scholarship. If you are interested or know someone who may be interested in learning more about the STAR scholarship, please contact your high school guidance counselor, or contact Nancy Hain at 207-687-6880 or Hannah McGhee at 207-563-5031. In addition to our STAR scholarship there are also scholarships, grants and loans for women who wish to pursue a college education that had been interrupted, as well as for continuing, or graduate studies.